Expansion-joint.



W. WRIGHT & H. F. HALL.

' EXPANSION JOINT. APPLICATION rmm anr'r. 27, 1011.

1,021,082, Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

9 1/ lllllllllmmn ";kmumwmmnuum L 70 if J Ira/(r Ora WRIGHT &-H. F. HALL.

EXPANBiON JOINT.- APPLICATION rn-nn snrmn, 1011.

Patented Ma1n26, 1912.

. 1 w 1 (J a v, hum 1 W fv H I a I 4 M r 0 410M, v M .1 1 111 w 11111 11 m 1 x Y... 1 who? a, 9%,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM WRIGHT, or CHICAGO, AND HARRIS r. HALL, or CHICAGO HEIGHTS,

ILLINOIS.

EXPANSION-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known. that .we, WILLIAM WRIGHT and HARRIS F. HALL, citizens of the United States of America, and residents, respectively, of Chicago and Chicago Heights, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Expansion-Joints, of which the following is a specification. 4

In concrete pavements, walls masonry, and other structures, where the-re are large areas of concrete or the like, subject to temperature variations, itis customaryto divide the material into blocks or sections separated by narrow spaces filled with asphaltum or a similar semi-solid substance which will yield under pressure and thus prevent upheavals or cracking of the material through expansion or contraction. In joints of this character, as usually constructed, the filling material is partly squeezed out of the joint when the blocks expand. This is particularly objectionable in roadways, because the material which is squeezed out of the joint lifts the top dressing and' thus produces ridges and cracks in the surface of the road, the ridges causing jarring of vehicles passing them, and the' cracks admitting moisture and thereby causing further injury-to the roadway.

In forming the spaces for expansion joints in roadways, it has been customary to place strips of Wood on edge along the line of the proposed joint, then to lay the concrete on both sides of such strips, and when the concrete has set, to withdraw the strips. The withdrawal of the strips usually splits them and renders them unsuitable for further use, and at the same time breaks the corners of the concrete and thereby widens the joint.

With the view to avoiding these difiiculties, the main objects of this invention are to provide an improved form and construction for expansion joints of the character de-.

scribed; to provide an improved casing or container for the filling material, of such form that the filling material may be placed in posit-ion in advance of the concrete, and thus obviate the necessity of using wooden mold strips; to provide an improved construction whereby the width of the joint at its' open side may be reduced to a minimum,-

whereby there will be in the interior of the joint an expansion space into which the filling material may flow when subjected to pressure by expansion of the adjacent concrete blocks, and whereby the abut-ting faces of the concrete blocks will be shaped in such manner that the expansion of the blocks will force the filling material to flow toward the expansion space rather than be squeezed out at the top; and to provide a joint of this kind having a yieldable diaphragm interposed between the filling space and the expansion space and adapted to yield to movements of the .filling material under pressure changes.

A few illustrative embodiments of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan of a concrete roadbed having an expansion joint constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional detail, in perspective, of one of the casings for the filling material, which are used ,to make up the expansion joint. Fig. 3 is a top plan illustrating a preferred construction'for the ends of such casings, .whereby they will fit endwise vone against the other when placed in zigzag relation or in line at an angle to the center line of the road. Fig. 1 is a detail in perspective, showing a form of clip which may be used for temporarily maintaining the upper edges of the side walls of the casing in parallel relation to each other. Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are sectional details, illustrating various specific embodiments of the invention.

In the general construction illustrated in Fig. 1, the roadway comprises a bed made up of concrete sections 1 spaced apart by a narrow expansion joint 3. Each joint 3 preferably extends across the roadway at an angle to the center line or in zigzag form. In the form shown, the joint is made up of a series of containers or casings 4 placed end to end and filled with asphaltum or other suitable semi-solid material, which will allow of a certain amount of longitudinal expansion of the concrete blocks without injllliy to the concrete. I

n the form shown .in Figs. 2, 3, and 5, each of the casings 4 is made up of thin sheebmaterial, preferably sheet metal, having flat side walls 5 diverging downwardly from a contracted opening 6 at the top. The

end walls 7 are preferably inclined to the Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

end Walls are formed by flanging the ends of the side walls and then folding them loosely one upon the other, so as to form a slip joint 8. The bottom of the casing may be an inverted ,U-shaped member 9 formed of sheet metal and secured by bending the lower edges of the side walls inwardly and upwardly around the edges of the member 9, as shown at 10, Fig. 2. The corners 11, which are formed where the middle portion of the member 9 adjoins the marginal portions-thereof, are rounded and the iniddle portion is bowed downwardly to a slight extent so that said bottom will act as'a diaphragm and yield when the material above it is under pressure. The diaphragm memher 9 subdivides the interior of the easing into an upper filling chamber 12 and a lower expansion chamber 13. Clips 14, such. as are'shown in Figs. 2 and 4,*may be employed for temporarily preventing the side walls 5 of the casing from buckling before being filled and embedded in the concrete. In building a roadway of this kind, the casings 4 are placed end to end, inany desired arrangement, and the cavities 12 thereof are filled with asphaltum or other suitable material, either before or after placing them in position on the roadbed. After the easings 4 are filled and placed in proper position, the concrete bed is formed at each side of the e pansion joint, the casings 4 serving to confine the filling material and also serving the function of the usual wooden strips which are temporarily employed to mold the ends of the concrete blocks. After the roadbed is thus formed,

it is coveredover with the top the usual manner.

The wedge-shaped form of the casings dressing in moldsthe faces of the concrete blocks so that they diverge toward theexpansion space 13 and when the blocks expand, the pressure upon the filling material 15 is therefore such as to urge said material away from the contracted opening 6 at the top ofthe casing and cause it to flow toward the expansion space, thediaphragmQ yielding as much as may be required by such flow.

This-construction avoids the most objectionable feature of the usual constructions, namely, the tendency of the filling material to squeeze out-at the top and form an objectionable rid e across the road.

In the modi ed form shown in Fig. 6, the

side walls of the casing are bent to provide ledges 16 which support a diaphragm plate 17 which rests loosely on said ledges.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 7, the bottom and sidewalls of the casing are integral, but the bottom 18 is bowed u wardly so as to below it. 7 V

In the modified form shown in Fig. 8, the casing is made up of a pair of specially spaces.

provide an expansion space' molded concrete blocks 19, having expansion spaces 20 formed in their opposed faces and having diaphragm plates 21 placed so as to normally confine the filling material 22, but to allow it to expand into the expansion spaces 20 when necessary. In this construction, theabutting faces 'of the concrete blocks 19 both above and below the expansion spaces 20 diverge toward such expansion spaces, and thus tend to force the filling material toward the expansion spaces when the roadbed expands. The outer faces of the blocks 19 are formed to interfit with the adjoining masses of concrete designated 23 in Fig. 8.

In all of the forms shown, the opposedfaces of the concrete at each side of the joint are so shaped that the flow of the filling material in the joint is toward the expansion The top dressing is shown at 24, Fig. 6.

' In usual constructions, the width of the expansion joints is usually about one inch,-

as it is necessary to use boards of about that width to mold the spaces. Narrower boards .could not be withdrawn. The amount of expansion to be provided for with the usual spacing of joints is, however, very much less than one inch, and it is therefore possible to make the joints much narrower at the top by using the herein described construction.

Several specific embodiments of this invention are herein shown and described, but

it will berea'dily understood that numerous other modifications may be made by altera-' tlon or omission of details without departing from the spiritofthis invention, as de fined by the following claims.

We claim scribed, comprising a casing having a main -cavity for the filling material and a contiguous expansion cavity, and a yieldablc I'nember separating said cavities. Y 2, An expansion joint of the class described, comprising a casing having a main cavity for the fillingmaterial, open at one side, and an 'expanslon cavity distant from said open side, and a member separating said cavities and adapted to yield to permit the movement of said filling material.

3. An expansion joint of the class described, comprising a casing having a main cavity for the filling material, open at one side, and an,expansion cavity distant from said open side, and .a member separating sald cavities and adapted to yield to permit the movement of said filling material, said its side walls inchned so as to diverge down- 1.'An expansion joint of the. class tie-.1 I

I wardly, amember subdividing the interior ex ab of said casing so as to provide a main chamber for the filling material and an expansion chamber, said member being adapted to yield into said expansion chamber through pressure on said filling material.

5. An expansion joint of the class described, comprising a casing formed of sheet material, being open at the top, and having its side walls inclined so as to divergedownwardly, means in the lower part of said casing adapted to support a filling material in the upper part and to provide an expansion space below said filling material, whereby said filling material may move downwardly.

6. An expansion joint of the class described, comprising a casing formed of sheet material, being open at the top and having its side walls diverging downwardly from said opening, a member forming a bottom for said casing and extending across the interior thereof above the lower edges of .said side walls to provide an expansion space below said member.

An expansion joint of the class described, comprising a series of casings placed end to end and each having a mam cavity for the filling material and a contiguous ansion cavity, and each havin a yielde member separating said cavities. 8. An expansion joint of the class described, comprisin a casing having a main cavity for the fil mg material and a contiguous expansion cavity, and a yieldable member separating said cavities, said casing having end walls inclined to the side walls thereof.

9. An expansion joint of the class described, comprisi'n a casing having a main cavity for the filing material and a contiguous expansion cavity, and a yieldable member separating said cavities, said casing having end walls inclined to the side walls thereof and parallel to each other.

10. In a structure of the class described, the combination of blocks of concrete spaced apart,- with an expansion joint interposed between said blocks andcomprising means providing a chamber filled with material adapted to flow under pressure, an expansion chamber contiguous to said filled chamher, and means providin a yielding partitlon separating said filled and expansion chambers and adapted to yield into saidexpansion chamber under the pressure of said filling material.

11. In a device of the class described, a casing formed of sheet material and comprising side walls .diverging' downwardly, and a horizontally disposed, yieldable diaphragm spanning the space between said side walls and extending from end to end thereof and arranged to subdivide the interior into an upper filling space and a lower expansion space.

12. Ina device of the class described, a casing formed of sheet material and comprising side walls diverging downwardly, and a horizontally disposed, yieldable diaphragm spanning the space between said .side walls and extending from end to end thereof and arranged to subdivide the interior into an upper filling space and a lower expansion space, said diaphragm being of inverted, channel-shaped cross section and having its longitudinal marginal edges secured to the lower edges of said side walls.

13. In a structure of the class described, a combination of adjacent blocks of comparatively rigid material having their opposed faces spaced apart, a mass of filling material interposed between said blocks and adapted to yield to permit expansion of said blocks,-

means providing an expansion space inward of theouter faces of said blocks, and the opposed faces of said blocks being shaped to diverge inwardly so as to crowd said fill ing material toward said expansion space when said blocks expand.

14. In a structure of the class described, the combination of adjacent blocks of comparatively rigid material having their opposed faces spaced apart, a mass. of-filling material interposed between said blocks and adapted to yield to permit expansion of said blocks, means providing an expanslon space inward of the outer faces of said blocks and adjacent to said filling material, whereby said filling material may be crowded into said expansion space when subjected to pressure.

Signed at Chicago this 22nd day of September 1911.

WILLIAM WRIGHT. HARRIS F. HALL.

. Witnesses: 4

E. A. RUMMLER, EDWIN PHELPS. 

